In his first presentation with OK Gallery, Brian Oakes showcases two sculptures: Lamp 1, an ethereal chandelier, hanging above Mimesis System 4, a larger floor-standing work. Draped with wires, the works appear at once organic and synthetic, and a combination of menacing points and flowing lines could evoke alien life forms or futuristic weaponry.

Both sculptures are constructed from custom-designed PCBs (printed circuit boards). Engineered for audio generation, each PCB has a specific function, acting as a filter, amplifier, modulator, or sampler. Once assembled into a larger composition, the wires that interconnect these modular boards configure the sculpture into a series of feedback loops, generating a trance-like sound. In visual concert, LED lights along the circuit paths blink on and off as the signals pass by. Together, these spatial investigations demonstrate various ideas of “technocraft”: open-source agendas, DIY materiality, satellites, nuclear culture, piracy, and global-political transparencies in outer space.

Brian Oakes is an interdisciplinary sculptor based in New York. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture with a concentration in Computation from the Rhode Island School of Design (2018). His artwork has been shown in the U.S., Japan, China and Germany including “Bohemian Centipede” at Scooters for Peace in Shibuya, Tokyo, and his most recent solo exhibition “Nocturne No1.”, at Mery Gates Gallery, Brooklyn, NY. His piece “Untitled Sound System 13” is on view through August 13th at Bellow Grand Gallery in NYC, and his next solo exhibition “Nocturne No2.” will open September 2nd at Feiertag Gallery in Kassel, Germany.

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